Not Alone 2.0

We won the "Fantasy Football Finding Trophy"
Elder Adair is from St. George

Saying Goodbye. We love Oscar.  He is so awesome

Last Cafe Rio Lunch with Rossi as my companion

Sister Mitchell is going home

Sister McKee is also going home this transfer

My Soul Sistas are serving together now 

Sister Rossi & Sister Hewitson (my new companion) were comps in the MTC

My new companion.  Sister Hewitson

Goodbye Shenendoah Singles and Sis. Rossi

Packing at transfers is always a miracle

As a mom I don't get it...
Elders burn a tie at halfway mark... Sisters take a "9 Month" photo
9 down - 9 to go...
It's a thing.

My companion made this for me.  How nice:)

Finished packing...

My study desk...

Ready for work

Ready for the 2.0?

Sweet.

Real quick though. Mom will you send me one of those Ross notebooks? The ones that are like 7x4 inches, with the stretchy band on the side that are leather bound? I've been using those to take notes in. I want it to be the same size as my other ones you've sent me.  You know the ones you bought for me and Spencer? Cool. Thanks.

This week was a crazy one.

Sunday was the New member fireside it went really well. Two of our new members spoke at it.

Monday was Preparation day.  Sister Rossi and I waxed.  It was quite fun. My lips are nice and smooth and hairless. So is my stomach.  I got carried away.  It's fine.

Tuesday was Transfer calls.

I GOT TRANSFERRED!

Yup.  Goodbye Shenandoah.  I loved that place. I was literally there for the best part... Summer Time.
I made some lifelong friends and had sooooo much fun. I'm definitely going to miss it. Transfer six (6) was a long one.  Lots of things changed. But over the course of that transfer I learned several things.
Here is my Traditional list for you all.

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED TRANSFER #6 👊

To be patient.
Give compliments.
Virginians take driving very seriously.  Don't mess up!
Don't be a stress case.
Don't worry about things you have NO control over.
Have faith.
I'm NOT a morning person.
Be persistent.
Set goals.
Be humble.
Laugh when you want to freak out.
Follow Presidents council.
Be OBEDIENT.
Don't talk about politics in or near the District.
Nobody is perfect.
Eating healthy makes you feel better.  Small portions of food.
Sacrifice.
Trusting The Lord.  His timing is Perfect.
The Gospel BLESSES and CHANGES entire lives.
The definition of Acne is a disease on the face of teens.
No effort ever goes wasted.
Study like Hunter Reynolds would study.
This Life is about BECOMING a Better Disciple of Christ.
God expects a lot.  BUT we can do it!
Everyone has their OWN Personal Challenges.
Change is inevitable so love it and invite it.
The Spirit is The Teacher.
God needs our Heart.
And I am a daughter of God ❤️

Also for kicks...  My trainee wanted me to add what she has learned...  Clearly I taught her well :)

😑

Sister Rossi...

1. Virginia driving is INSANE.
2. There is traffic from 5-9:30 and 3:30 to 8.
3. Getting cut off is a daily thing.
4. Getting honked at is an every other day thing.
5. I have seen about 6 people use their signals since I've been here.
6. Everyone has customized license plates.
7. Miles and minutes don't coincide like they do in Utah.
     If you are going two miles it takes about 8 minutes+ because #nogridsystem
8. Freeway speed is 55....
9. This county is a commuter county and so most people have an 1 1/2 hr. drive everyday to work.
10. Basically, to sum the first nine up, the roads / drivers are crazy,
      and I won't have any complaints about Utah driving once I get home. :)
11. Wegmans: a rich people grocery store. Gourmet food at gourmet prices.
      There is also a giant food court with food from all over the world to choose from.
12. Everyone has at least one dog and it's their pride and joy.
13. If someone says they "work for the government" You don't ask further questions because that means             their profession is too 'official' to publicly tell (CIA, FBI, interrogators, etc)
14. Our Bishopric are all very well off men: one is a CEO for IBM, one is a rocket scientist, and the other....       I'm actually not sure what he does but he is a millionaire.
15. Top five religions here according to who I have met: Atheist, Muslim, Non-denominational, Catholic,
      and politics.
16. The "Metro" is as cool AND unsanitary as it sounds.
17. You can see the humidity in the morning.
18. Rainstorms are actually waterfalls.
19. There are these bugs that only appear every seven years. And people eat them with chocolate.
20. VA is diverse.
21. Tick checks are needed daily.
22. VA also has screaming bugs, that NEVER stop...screaming...

Well we have learned a lot from Shenandoah.

The people here, the work, the area, the lifestyle. It has been a great experience.  I am truly sad to be leaving. It has changed immensely since the first day I stepped foot into Loudoun county.  It has been a
huge blessing in my life to be part of the work.

So to answer the infamous question you're all waiting to hear... YES. I'm now serving right under President Riggs nose.  In Burke, Virginia!

😊✌️My new companion is actually sister Rossi's MTC companion... Sister Hewitson.  She just got done training and is from SLC, Utah.

Sister Rossi is now serving with my Soul Sister.  Sister Kayleigh Martindale. Sister Martindale follows me around areas and cleans up my mess. (I Love her)  We WILL be companions one day. She is a saint. I'm
super stoked they get to rock Shenandoah together. Also. I totally called it. Like a month ago. #sup

Inspiration at its finest.

I had an interesting welcoming to Burke... Our apartment is quite disgusting. On many levels.  Not only the fact that Sisters have lived here forever and there is hoards of junk in every corner.  But everything about the building is really quite repugnant. I've been cleaning and organizing ever since I got here. Every time we have a breakfast, lunch or dinner break I will knock out a corner of junk before I eat.  It is a great weight loss tactic.

Goodbye Shenendoah.  Hello couch.

The first night I got here a guy who was obsessed with one of the former Sisters came over and would not leave. He kept texting our phone and was holding up creepy signs to the door and laughing. So Sister Hewitson is freaking out because of all this past stuff that has happened. Our apartment is all but underground so there are several entrances. So I'm sitting here with this baseball bat I found in their
hoard collection because my pepper spray got exterminated at the Holocaust Museum last week.  Not that my swing would break the guy but I am banking on it.  Anyway we ended up going to the Sister Training Leaders (STL) apartment after he left and I spent my first night in Burke on the carpet in their living room.

The next day we woke up and went to clean horses.  Which was... interesting. This lady owns a horse barn and saves horses. She has like a thousand of them and I had to actually like hold a horse... and not let it run away. I thought it was going to eat me. Those things are massive and I was freaking out.  Not to mention the fact that I was literally breaking out in hives and swollen eyes and nastiness. Did you know horses shed all over? Cause they do. I was dying!!!

Then we ate fish.

Yup.

So needless to say I downed a whole bottle of every allergy pill I could find and was drugged the rest of the night. We visited this cute new family in the ward and I almost fell asleep on their couch.  I could not keep my eyes open.  I was soooooo dosed with Benadryl.

Welcome to Burke Sister ✌️

One reoccurring theme we've talked about, that I have learned and that I want to share with you today is that WE ARE NEVER ALONE.

# You are not alone 2.0

Life is not easy.
Sometimes people hurt us.
Sometimes we hurt ourselves.
There are times when our circumstances are simply not ideal.
Where there seems to be nothing we can do to change the situation we are in.
Sometimes we experience trial and tribulation.
We get hurt feelings.
Broken hearts.
Broken souls.
We get let down.
And these things that others do,
or maybe others don't do but they just happen...
They are out of our control.
Sometimes they are in our control.
And either way we feel like we've been let down and left alone.
We have all felt that way before.
Where we feel like we are walking alone and nobody understands.
Sometimes as humans it happens.
We feel as if things are out of our control.
Nothing is going as we had originally intended and had planned.
We feel forsaken, empty, isolated, desolate.
Are we alone?

When no mortal understands what we are going through, is it then that we are truly alone?

Mary Stevenson Once Wrote:
(In a famous poetic form)

"One night I dreamed I was walking

along the beach with The Lord

Many scenes from my life

flashed across the sky

In each scene I noticed

footprints in the sand

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints

other times there were one

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life

when I was suffering from anguish sorrow or defeat

I could see only one set of footprints

so I said unto The Lord

You promised me Lord

that if I followed you

You would walk with me always

but I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life

There has only been one set of footprints In the sand.

Why when I needed you most

You have not been there for me?

The Lord replied

the times when you have seen

only one set of footprints in the sand

is when I carried you."

We are never alone!

I think the only thing that keeps Christ from entering into our lives is ourselves. He stands with his arms outstretched, and open. We choose whether or not we will accept him into our lives and allow him to heal us, to clean us, to perfect us. He loves us.  We should never feel alone.

I have this assumption that most of my blog readers are women. I could most definitely be wrong but I want to shed some insight on something I have learned.  Being a woman and a member of Christs church. Women are important.  In fact crucial to God's plan for His children.

This leads me to ask you.
Do you KNOW who you are?
Do you KNOW what your potential is?
Do you realize that YOU are a daughter of God?
Do you understand what that means?

I love Dieter F. Uchtdorfs words when he says:

"Today I want to draw your attention to something very significant, very extraordinary. “You are a beloved daughter of Heavenly Father, prepared to come to the earth at this particular time for a sacred and glorious purpose."

Sisters, those words are true! They are not made up in a fairy tale! Isn’t it remarkable to know that our eternal Heavenly Father knows you, hears you, watches over you, and loves you with an infinite love?

"In fact, His love for you is so great that He has granted you this earthly life as a precious gift of “once upon a time,” complete with your own true story of adventure, trial, and opportunities for greatness, nobility, courage, and love. And, most glorious of all, He offers you a gift beyond price and comprehension. Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all--eternal life--and the opportunity and infinite blessing of your own “happily ever after.”

How does it make you feel to realize that GOD the most powerful being, who created this earth we live on, who created YOU knows you. Everything about you. and not only does he just "know you" like you "know" the kid down the streets name... but he LOVES you. he cherishes you. he wants you to be happy. He is your father.  And just as our earthly fathers might be here, he expects great things of you. He knows your potential and wants you to achieve it. But on a magnified scale. He has given us what we need to become something
greater than what we are right now.

What does he want you to do?  He wants you to be a valiant and virtuous daughter of God, dedicated to living each day so that you can be worthy to receive the blessings of the temple and return to Him. He doesn't care about the temporal and worldly things we seem to be ever so caught up in. Why do we spend
so much time on these things if in reality they don't even matter?

How can we be a more valiant and virtuous daughter of God? Today this is not a simple task. It takes courage, strength, dedication, and discipline. It takes a lot to go through what we do in this generation and remain a virtuous, inspiring, happy, honest and true daughter of God.

In today's world I feel like all young girls care about is whats trending, the style hype (which includes wearing as little clothes as possible; as much makeup as possible) losing track of how many boys you have kissed, getting the most likes on an Instagram selfie, calling out every girls flaw in your tweets, Facebook stalking your ex boyfriends new girlfriends social media, taking a drink because it's there, going to the hookah lounge because it's what your friends do, letting guys get all in your business to feel good about yourself, trying to be somebody you are not just to "fit in"

WHAT???

Can't we be something more without all of this?
There is so much more to life then what the world throws out there as COOL.
Basing your self worth off of what the world views will NOT bring you Lasting happiness.
We can live in this world and not take a part of all the temptations and violations of Gods law that are thrown at us. We can be confident, godly women, and lead a very successful happy life.

But what if it is too late?
What if you have given into that temptation?
What if you are stuck in old habits, decisions, old ways?
Then what?
What if you don't have a choice?
What if you were born into these circumstances?
What if you can't get rid of the bad influences all around you?
What if you have been hurt?
Been torn down?
What if you don't have control over the way people treat you?
The things people have done?

President Uchtdorf :
"There are those among you who, although young, have already suffered a full measure of grief and sorrow. My heart is filled with compassion and love for you. How beloved you are of your Heavenly Father. Though
it may seem that you are alone, angels attend you. Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more than we can possibly imagine, and He did it for us; He did it for you. You are not alone. If you ever feel your burden is too great to bear, lift your heart to your Heavenly Father, and He will uphold and bless you. He says to you, as He said to Joseph Smith, “[Your] adversity and [your] afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if [you] endure it well, God shall exalt [you] on high.”

he goes onto say...

Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy life. Let me repeat: how you react to adversity and temptation is a critical factor in whether or not you arrive at your own “happily ever after.” It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop.  How beautiful it is to know that there is a way provided and a plan in store for each and every one of us. Even those of us who have messed up, or those of us not in ideal situations RIGHT NOW. that God loves us enough to send his son, who suffered all afflictions, trials, temptations, stubbed toes, heart aches, pains, mistakes, sins, guilt, shame, sorrow, Sadness, Hurt, Or unbelief.

He did it all for US. 
We can turn to Him. 
We can be forgiven.
We can be strengthened. 
No matter what our situation.
We can move on.

I think we are so hard on ourselves. When we are not perfect. When we mess up. When others mess up. When things aren't going exactly as we had planned. As others had planned for us. I think we get so upset because we never live in the "now" we are never completely happy where we are at... We are always seeing the grass as greener on the other side... We think that were never good enough.

"My dear young sisters, you need to know that you will experience your own adversity. None is exempt. You will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. You will learn for yourself what every heroine has learned:
through overcoming challenges come growth and strength...

...Sandwiched between their “once upon a time” and “happily ever after,” they all had to experience great adversity. We all search for happiness, and we all try to find our own “happily ever after.” The truth is, God knows how to get there! And He has created a map for you; He knows the way. He is your beloved Heavenly Father, who seeks your good, your happiness. He desires with all the love of a perfect and pure Father that you reach your supernal destination. The map is available to all. It gives explicit directions of what to do and where to go to everyone who is striving to come unto Christ and “stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.”

All you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father. Trust Him enough to follow His plan.

Hey,

Life is fun. There are so many options we can choose.

Don't ABANDON those things you love that are good for you,

But take a self inventory of your life right now.

What do you spend the most time doing?

Is what you are spending the most time on right now..

going to bless your life and the lives of others in years to come?

Are you really where you want to be?

Are you where God NEEDS you to be?

Trust Him enough to follow his plan.

Even if its difficult.

Even if you have every change in the world to make...

Because life is not easy.

But we were never meant to walk alone.

Shoot me an email this week.  Let's talk.

Sister Madison Stucki
(via email September 8, 2014)
Sent from my iPad